Little Lies
by Jade Fervidus
Summary: She supposed she should have seen it sooner. All of it pointed to the one conclusion Kate did not want to face: Pogue Parry and Caleb Danvers were more than just best friends. Pogue/Kate, Pogue/Caleb. Rated for content. Kate POV.


**Little Lies  
**by  
Jade Fervidus

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**Rating:** M  
**Pairing/s:** Pogue/Kate (unestablished Caleb/Pogue).  
**Genre:** Romance, Hurt/Comfort.  
**Fandom:** The Covenant

**Warnings:** While the **predominant** coupling in this oneshot is **Pogue/Kate**, there is constant reference to Caleb/Pogue: that means **slash**. Nothing graphic, but it is alluded to. **Swearing**.

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**Disclaimer: **I do not own The Covenant, its characters or settings: Renny Harlin and Screen Gems do. I just like using them for my own tales.

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**Little Lies**

Kate Tunney wasn't an idiot. She prided herself on being pretty _and_ smart, unlike the majority of the female population at Spenser Academy. She flaunted her curves, knowing it caught the attention of everyone. Kate especially loved doing it when her boyfriend, Pogue Parry, was nearby. He was the jealous type and everyone knew it. So, when Pogue started to ignore her passes at other men, she knew something was wrong.

She supposed she should have seen it sooner. The late-night phone calls, the constant text messaging, the smiles, the looks, the touches... All of these pointed to the one conclusion Kate did not want to face: Pogue Parry and Caleb Danvers were more than just best friends.

Kate heaved a sigh as she watched the two boys at the pool table. They were with their two other best friends, Reid Garwin and Tyler Simms. All four were chatting and grinning every so often. However, Kate saw everything that even Reid and Tyler missed: the way Caleb's hand brushed Pogue's as he passed him the pool cue, eliciting a smile from her boyfriend, the way they grinned at each other as if sharing a private joke, the way Pogue winked at Caleb when their brothers couldn't see... The pretty brunette was torn between hitting herself for her ignorance and striding over to the opposite side of the bar and slapping Pogue for cheating and lying to her. She sighed again.

"Hey, Kate?" Sarah's soft voice broke through her internal musings. The blonde's eyes were drawn together and there was a wrinkle of worry on her forehead.

She looked over at the blonde, plastering a fake smile on her face. "Yeah, what's up?"

"You okay?" her friend asked. Kate could see the care in her eyes and she realised that she wasn't the only person who would be hurt if this got out.

Kate hated herself for lying but it wasn't her place to tell Sarah what she had seen happening. "I'm fine," the brunette smiled as pain bubbled in her stomach. "Just thinking about that test we have on Monday." She saw Sarah nod in understanding. She had half-hoped that Sarah would have seen through her lies, but no such luck. "Hey, you want another drink?"

Sarah smiled at the sudden change in topic. It was no secret that both girls despised school. "Sure, coke's good."

The brunette nodded and grabbed a few notes from her purse before heading to the crowded bar. She ordered two cokes from the barmaid and focussed on the pool table where the boys were. Tyler was setting up the balls in the triangle and Reid was pocketing a wad of notes. _So, Pogue and Caleb lost, _thought the brunette with a smile, _and now their attempting revenge. _She shook her head: boys and their egos.

She took the two glasses placed in front of her, passing the money to Suzie. The barmaid grinned at the tip and nodded her thanks. Kate returned to the table, noticing that Sarah was talking to another girl from Spenser, Lorraine. She was nice but Kate didn't talk to her much.

The brunette sipped her drink slowly and surveyed the boys across the room. It appeared as if Caleb and Pogue were winning, if the scowl on Reid's face was anything to judge by. Her boyfriend and Tyler were chatting and their eyes sparkled. Reid's eyes never left the table as he took a drink from the bottle in his hand. Kate's eyes travelled the length of Caleb's body as he lined up his shot.

He was definitely good-looking, she admitted to herself. Caleb was built quite nicely from all the years of swimming and whatever other sports he'd done, and tanned from spending most of his time outdoors. He had a cute face and a smile that could melt anyone. He was also sweet: everyone knew he had a heart of gold and had been looking after his mother since the 'death' of his father. Yes, he was a good person. A person that everyone wanted as a friend, or to date. Sarah was definitely lucky.

_And so is Pogue, _whispered a dark voice in the back of her mind. She frowned. She didn't want to think about it, even though she knew she had to.

Kate felt tears burning behind her eyes as her gaze shifted to Pogue, who was still standing with Tyler. She sniffed and cleared her throat, not willing to cry in a place this crowded. The blond biker was dressed in his usual dark jeans and a black muscle shirt that showed off his arms well. His black leather jacket was hanging on the chair next to Kate. His hair was hanging in his face, the way Kate liked it. Pogue had a bottle of beer in his hand. Kate let her head fall into her hands and she had to suppress the tears that threatened to spill over.

The brunette had always known that being Pogue's girlfriend would be hard. His family was the third-richest family in Ipswich, preceded by the Danvers' and the Garwins'. With the surname Parry came great responsibility and expectations. Kate had charmed his parents and relatives and she knew they liked her. Both Kate and Pogue had been relieved. But there was also the town of Ipswich and Spenser to deal with. The entirety of the small town had known within a month of them becoming official and had only just begun to deal with it. The students of Ipswich Academy hadn't believed the rumours until they began being affectionate in public. Female students had given Kate dirty looks for a long time until they accepted that the new couple wouldn't be separating any time soon. The males had simply shifted their attention away from Kate to Alison Brown, another student. Kate had been relieved at the shifting attention but felt sorry for Alison: they were good friends.

But the thought that Kate would lose Pogue to one of his brothers never crossed her mind.

They were unbelievably close, even Kate could tell as an outsider. However, they had all been perfectly civil, and even friendly, to her when she had Pogue and first got together. It was nice to be friends with guys who didn't constantly stare at your chest. Of course, Reid had from time to time but that just made her grin. She had been jealous of their friendship at first. Then she had remembered that she had been the interloper and had no reason to feel the way she did. After all, they were just friends, right?

That's what Kate had thought up until a few days ago. For a whole year, Kate had been in a steady, healthy relationship with Pogue and was beginning to believe that nothing could tear them apart. Then she had begun to see, really see, what was happening.

_How long has he been cheating on me? _Kate asked herself. She hadn't wanted to believe her eyes but her sadness gave way to acceptance. The brunette hadn't believed that Pogue would cheat on her. Sure, he was a little rough around the edges, but she thought he was sincere.

Kate heaved another sigh and lifted her head from her hands. Unfortunately for her, the movement caused her to stare straight into Pogue's eyes. She was embarrassed that he had caught her looking vulnerable, but she wasn't going to clue him in. So she smiled and winked. Nausea threatened to bubble in her throat, so she swallowed deeply.

She couldn't miss the frown on her boyfriend's face. _You okay?_ he mouthed, eyebrows furrowed in worry.

Kate nodded; she couldn't handle it if he came over to talk to her. _I'm fine, _she mouthed back. _Just tired. _

The blond nodded but the troubled look didn't leave his eyes. He turned back to Tyler and Kate released the breath she had been holding. She'd averted the inevitable confrontation until she could handle it. She breathed in deeply, not at all looking forward to said confrontation.

Sarah and Lorraine had finally noticed Kate, who had been sitting at the table for longer than five minutes. The two blondes smiled in greeting as Sarah returned to her seat opposite the brunette and Lorraine sank into Pogue's vacated place next to Kate. "Hey, Kate," Lorraine greeted in a thick Southern accent. "You alright? You kinda look sick."

Kate couldn't take it and just nodded. She needed to get out of there and clear her head. "Yeah, I'm not feeling good at all. I think I might just head back to the dorms." Again, the brunette felt terrible for lying to her friends. But she had to.

Sarah frowned. "I'm not ready to leave yet," she murmured apologetically. "Do you want me to drop you back home?"

Kate had forgotten that Sarah had been the one to bring her to Nicky's earlier in the afternoon. "Please, Sarah," she accepted her friend's offer. "I'm feeling a little nauseous."

The blonde nodded as she fished her keys out of her pocket. "You wanna say goodbye to Pogue and the guys?" she asked, casting her eyes over said boys.

Kate shook her head. "I'm not going to last that long as it is, and I'd rather not puke in your car." Okay, she was laying it on a little thickly, but she was desperate.

"Okay, let's go." Sarah looked faintly green at the thought and Kate thanked God for her friend's weak stomach.

The pair hurried through the crowd and out to Sarah's car. Silence reigned over the two girls. Kate thought it was because Sarah didn't want to set her off and she was grateful. Or maybe Sarah had picked up on the fact that something was wrong and didn't want to pressure her into talking about it. The car ride from Nicky's to the dorms was a short one. Sarah killed the engine and turned to Kate. The brunette didn't like the sadness in her eyes.

Sarah took a deep breath. "Kate, I know something's going on between you and Pogue," she began quietly. "But I also know you obviously don't want to talk about it, so I'm not going to pressure you." She returned Kate's soft smile. "Kate, I want you to know that I'm always here when you're ready to talk. And hopefully it's soon. I may not know what the problem is, but I know it's killing you."

The brunette just hugged her tightly. "I know," Kate's voice was thick with tears. "Thanks. But go and have fun." She released her blonde friend and exited the car. "I'll be fine."

Sarah's skeptical expression almost made Kate smile. "Seriously, now go."

Kate turned on her heel and headed up the stairs into the dorms. She returned the nod given to her by the front desk attendant. She trailed slowly up the three staircases that separated her from her dorm room. The thoughts of Pogue and Caleb that had been pushed into the back of her mind during the car ride flooded her mind. She didn't want to think about it.

Using her key to open her dorm door, Kate stepped inside and shut the door. She fell against the door and slid down to the floor, feeling her tears finally escape as sobs wracked her body. Her life had been turned upside in the space of a few days. If only she had continued to remain ignorant...

Kate wrapped her arms around her knees as her crying quietened. She took deep breaths to steady herself. _What am I going to do?_ was her only thought as she picked herself up from the floor and walked over to her bed. The brunette sunk onto the mattress heavily, placing her elbows on her knees as she stared into nothingness.

She had three options, as far as she could tell. Option number one was to simply forget everything. Forget that her boyfriend was cheating her, forget that the other person was his best fiend, forget that anything was wrong and just continue to love Pogue and hope her could leave Caleb, once he remembered how much he loves her. Kate snorted: she knew she couldn't do that. This was too big to ignore. Option number two was to confront Pogue about it. They could calmly talk through it and see what would happen, like the mature adults they both were. Option number three was to corner Caleb alone and convince him to leave her boyfriend before threatening to do something very creative with his reproductive organs.

The brunette chuckled wetly. At the moment the third option seemed the most appealing, but it wouldn't get her anywhere. She sighed: option two it was. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and started as she saw the screen flashing. _3 messages, 1 missed call._

She didn't have to open the messages to know who they were from. One of the messages was from her voicemail service saying she had a missed call. The second was from Sarah saying that she was going to spend the night with Caleb, and wishing her a good night. The third, the one she dreaded opening, was from Pogue. She clicked on the 'open' button and checked the time stamp: it was received twelve minutes ago.

_S told me ur not feeling well. Bull. Im coming over. B there in 15._

_Oh, shit, _thought Kate, checking the clock again. She estimated she had a little under a minute before Pogue decided to bang down her door. She hurriedly splashed some water over her face and tugged a comb through her hair. Kate couldn't figure out why she cared how she looked: it wasn't like he looked at her anymore.

A loud knock interrupted the silence of the night and Kate shook her head: just like clockwork. She padded into the main section of the room and let Pogue in, shutting the door behind him. She gave him a once over. He hadn't changed since Nicky's but his hair was all over the place. The brunette ignored the urge to smooth it out life she normally did.

She ignored Pogue's gaze as his eyes took her in. She didn't want him to look at her, especially when her clothes were dishevelled and her eyes were red.

"Kate, what's wrong?" His soft voice shook Kate to the core.

She felt his hands on her shoulders and the burning sensation of tears crept up her face. She shrugged out of his hold. "Nothing," she replied nonchalantly as she fiddled with books on her desk. "Why would anything be wrong?"

"Because you look like crap and you've been crying." Kate could hear his eyes rolling.

"Bet you never think Caleb looks like crap," Kate whispered before she could stop herself. She dropped the heavy book that had been in her hands in favour of clamping them over her mouth. _Shit!_

Pogue didn't say anything. That scared Kate more than if he had yelled. She found it surprisingly easy to deal with the biker when he was ranting and raving in comparison to his silence. Stealing herself, Kate turned to look at her boyfriend.

There was dark torment in his eyes that told Kate he knew exactly why she had said what she said. His shoulders were slumped in defeat, as was the rest of his body. His ran his hands through his hair, tugging it from his scalp. He released a breath harshly and Kate could tell his thoughts were conflicted, so she saved him the pain.

"Pogue," she stayed quiet until he looked at her. His eyes were sparkling with tears. "I know about Caleb. I guess... I guess I've known all along. I just ignored it. I didn't want to believe that I could lose you to someone else, especially one of your brothers... after all we've been through." Kate had to stop to clear her throat. "I thought we'd last through everything. But, these past few days, I've started to see everything I was desperate to ignore."

Pogue opened his mouth to interrupt, but Kate pressed on as tears slipped down her cheeks. "No, let me finish. I started to notice the looks and the touches and the shared jokes. Hell, I even realised that the texting and phone calls were happening more often. I started to notice the fact that you kept ignoring me, ignoring everything I did in attempt to make you jealous. I noticed that you stopped doing things unless you asked Caleb first. If that hadn't have clued me in, nothing would have." She smiled bitterly, wiping the tears off her face.

Pogue opened his mouth, seeing Kate was now letting him talk. "I... I don't know what to say," he admitted quietly, crossing his arms. "I've been dreading this conversation for ages." Kate wondered exactly how long 'ages' was. "I'm not going to apologise because anything I say would be a lie or a pathetic excuse. But I am going to say I'm sorry for hurting you: you're beautiful, smart, sexy as hell and awesome and I never wanted to hurt you. But... I just couldn't stop. I'm embarrassed as hell that I let it last this long but I couldn't stop, Kate." A tear slipped down his cheek.

Kate bit her bottom lip and looked away from her boyfriend, unable to look into his sad eyes any longer. "How long has this been going on, Pogue?" she asked quietly.

She felt Pogue's eyes on her but didn't move. He sighed and stepped closer. "What do you want me to say?"

That shocked Kate. Did she really want to know? Suddenly, a line from a song she had heard a few months ago popped into her mind. _'Tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies.'_

She turned and fell into Pogue's open arms. She took a deep breath as his arms held her tightly, "Tell me lies."

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**Author's note: **For those of you who guessed, the title and the line of lyrics was from 'Little Lies' by Fleetwood Mac. I was listening to this song earlier today when this oneshot popped into my head. I hope you liked it :) Please review!


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